


#fictober18 - Twenty-seven - "Remember. You have to remember."

by khurst



Series: #fictober18 [27]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode: s07e16 Workforce, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 09:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16426847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khurst/pseuds/khurst
Summary: Kathryn is back from Quarra, but her treatment is far from finished.Missing scene forWorkforce





	#fictober18 - Twenty-seven - "Remember. You have to remember."

**Author's Note:**

> as usual unabashedly unbeta'd and whipped up in a frenzy

She looked at the black and red garment and waited for a sense of familiarity, but nothing was forthcoming. The quarters that surrounded here gave her nothing. The pictures in the frames stirred no emotions. She felt lost and alone and so far nothing had made her feel safe here.

Except for him.

For some reason, she knew she could trust  _ him _ .

He’d be here in a few minutes and take her out to dinner, bring her among familiar faces she had no recognition of. It was supposed to help speed up the process, but all it did for her was cause anxiety and pressure.

She picked up the four golden pips that lay on the dresser next to her combadge. She rolled the cold metal between her fingers before dropping them one by one into the palm of her other hand.

The weight felt familiar. They felt strange in her palm as if they belonged somewhere else. Rationally, she knew, of course, where they belonged. Despite their nominal mass, they felt heavy, weighing her down somehow. Instinctively she knew these four pips were a burden to her, but they also gave her some comfort. Except for him, these four pips were the only things connecting her to this strange vessel from the other side of the galaxy. 

In a few days, when she would be back to her old safe, she would have to make a decision. And from what she understood, her decision would impact this vessel and everyone on board.

She frowned and opened her palm, looking at the small metal pieces. Somehow she knew they represented her lack of choice. The person that came with the memories, the person that came with the pips…

“Kathryn?” He had entered her quarters without her noticing and she closed her hand in surprise. 

“Are you ready?” She wasn’t but it wasn’t fair to burden him with any more than he already had to carry for all of them. So she nodded and put the pips into the pocket of her pants.

The walk to the mess hall was quiet. She had questions but wasn’t sure she was ready yet for the answers and he didn’t try to push her. They chose a table in the corner, away from the crowd but situated so she could observe. She thought they must have done this a hundred times before and by the ease with which he moved and placed her food in front of her, she knew they probably had.

Her gaze searched the people present, some of their expressions as confused and helpless as she felt, some of them hopeful and relieved. She felt secluded from them and wondered if she had ever felt different so familiar was the sensation.

“Are you okay?” He must have sensed her unease as his worried gaze swept over her features, causing them to relax slightly as she focused on him instead of the rest of the mess hall.

She was about to just nod but then thought better of it. What point was there in pretending anyway? “What am I going to do now?”

“Remember,” he replied without hesitation, “everything else is my responsibility now. You only have to remember.”

Chakotay grasped her free hand on the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and nodded mutely. He smiled at her and the barely suppressed joy that had been present in his eyes ever since she had come aboard the ship was unmistakable. Her heart constricted in a way that wasn’t entirely pleasant.

And the weights in her pocket were already starting to wear her down.

  
  



End file.
